What is the truth behind the circulated photo that shows an Iraqi woman waiting to enter to visit her son in prison?
A post was circulated on social media with the text "A free Iraqi woman sits under the scorching sun in front of an Iraqi prison. Her son was arrested by a secret informant 12 years ago and has not yet been brought before any court."
The truth
The attached claim is incorrect. The circulated photo is not in Iraq. After we did a reverse search for it, it turned out that it had previously been circulated in 2020 on Algerian pages, indicating that it was taken "outside Bir El Ater prison."
By searching further for the common name, a picture and a video clip of the same place were found, showing that the building bears the sign “Bir El Ater Rehabilitation and Education Foundation.”
Also, by examining the circulated image, it can be noted that there is an Algerian flag on top of the center building, meaning that the shot was taken in Algeria and not in Iraq as claimed.
What do you know about the secret informant in Iraq?
It is one of the methods by which the government obtains security information, where the informant is given financial rewards for those who provide security information.
It is worth noting that the Supreme Judicial Council announced the suspension of arrest warrants based on secret informant statements in 2013.
Despite this, this law is still in effect, and the law has not been repealed by the House of Representatives, despite popular demands and demands from the High Commission for Human Rights to repeal the law.